Vegas Wineaux Tastes on The Strip!

A brightly colored email caught my attention, and I decided to follow up on it even though it was located on The Strip, the bane of the locals. Not really – after all, the Strip is our economy’s bread and butter – but in order to be a “true” local, hating the Strip is an intrinsic ritual. For those of you who are not locals, the Strip is Las Vegas Boulevard, which provides the money shot of the casinos in most documentaries/movies/tv programs/Travel Channel, etc., about Las Vegas. But I digress.Onda Restaurant at the Mirage, as it turns out, has a great wine tasting especially for locals every three/four Wednesdays or so. At $15.00, it is quite the steal.

The wine at Wednesday night’s tasting was Sonoma-Cutrer and a couple of its second labels. Terri Stamp, the On-Premise Market Manager of Brown-Forman, did the pouring honors.

The first wine was Bonterra 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, made from 52% Lake County and 48% Mendocino County grapes. Very fragrant, it has notes of citrus, lemongrass, cat pee, and some grassiness. On the palate, it is fresh and vibrant, with tropical fruit, grapefruit, and melon, and has a more assertive mineral backbone than most New Zealand Sauv Blancs. The happy part about this wonderful combination is the fact that the grapes are organically and sustainably farmed. Shame on me, I didn’t get the restaurant price, but it retails about about $13.00.

The next wine was Sonoma-Cutrer 2004 Les Pierres Vineyard Chardonnay. Even though the literature doesn’t state it, I’m guessing that it was aged in French oak due to the subtle creamy nature that has an overlying mineral backbone and good acid (that means food-friendly) core. Characteristics of Granny Smith apple, lemon, cream, and lime zest race across the nose and palate. In my opinion, it is a good balance between the attributes that oak imparts and the clear aromas and flavors of an unoaked Chard. It’s relatively austere compared to the “regular” Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay, but I feel that it’s much more suitable for pairing with a wider variety of food. Nice effort, enjoyable wine. Once again, I don’t know the restaurant’s price, but it retails at about $40.00.

Pinot Noir. Yum. The 2004 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was my favorite. Not because it is an earth-shattering, life-changing wine, but because it’s so, well, *Pinot*!! What can I say? A quick sniff had me saying, “smells like Pinot.” Berries, cherries, strawberries, cola, earth, smoke, and more on the nose. On the palate, it had all the berries, with subtle earthiness and smoke. A good acid core guarantees that this wine is perfect with turkey (dark meat), as well as the usual food suspects. Yummy. If you can find it, it retails at about $25.00, and is comparable (in my opinion) to many higher-end Pinots. I understand that this vintage will only be available to Sonoma-Cutrer wine club members and restaurants. If you’re a Pinot Ho like me, it’s worth the effort to search for it.

The last wine tasted was the 2004 Mariah Zinfandel, Mendocino County, which was my first experience with a Mendocino County Zinfandel. On the nose there were berries, dark fruit, coffee, a touch of cocoa, and some pepper. It is a rustic type of Zin, with the typical Zin dark fruit and earthiness and a surprisingly smooth finish. It still does not come up to my standard (hey! I’m into Paso Zinfandels!!), but it is very tasty nonetheless. It retails at about $25.00 or so.

Now for the real fun part. The food! Along with the wonderful wines come appetizers. The first course is a breadbasket with a rustic bread, a baguette-style “regular” bread, and some delicious Gorgonzola-laced breadsticks. The individual appetizer plate was beautifully presented and consisted of Genoa and Cotto salamis, Manchego and Gorgonzola cheeses, marinated olives, and candied walnuts. OF COURSE there had to be further food experimentation, so an additional meat and cheese platter was ordered. The cheeses were Tête de Moine, a cheese that can only be described as ethereal; Idiazabel, a Manchego-style Spanish cheese; Morbier, the French ash cheese; Duck Prosciutto (!!!), which is rich and wonderful; Quince preserves, and Cabernet and Shiraz jellies. Jeff Braun, the Assistant Executive Chef, came up with the idea to provide the Duck Prosciutto. He felt that people who patronized the restaurant would like something a little different. The Duck Prosciutto most deliciously fills the bill.

I have to mention Danny Smith, who was the server at our table. He was familiar with all of the items on the menu and the service was impeccable.

I had an opportunity to speak with Randy Zammit, the Manager of Onda. The staff came up with the idea to have wine tastings for Las Vegas locals in order to attract those of us who generally avoid the Strip. It was admittedly a gamble, but bit by bit, the number of customers grows at every tasting. I will admit that even though I’m also a Strip-phobic local, the lure of a periodical wine tasting at the Mirage is hard to resist.

Randy pointed out that Onda has “Rush Hour Wines” wine tastings every Friday night from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The wines are complimentary, and while they get a few tourists, they have the red carpet laid out for us locals. That is, if we’re brave enough to confront the wilds of the Strip on a Friday night! It’s a great after work wind-down time.

So if you decide to go to Onda one Friday night, find Randy and tell him that Irene from Vegas Wineaux sent you. You won’t get anything other than what they have on the tasting menu, but, hey! He’ll know that there’s a network of locals who are willing to go to the Strip to take care of their wine Jones! And, yes, I plan to visit one Friday night and will definitely go to another Wednesday tasting. It’s a great value, especially considering the location. Four wines and world-class appetizers at the Mirage for $15.00. A deal in anybody’s book!

As I write this early Thursday evening, I’m also getting ready to go taste some Beaujolais Nouveau tonight at Khoury’s. This is going to be a BN fun run for the next few days/weeks, and I’ll be more than happy to share my opinion of this year’s vintage.

Stay tuned!

 

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A Rosé by Any Other Name and Wine in Vegas. And Neophyte to Wine Snob Stuff

The wonderful tasting for the Tex and Fritz’s Wine Club Thing on Saturday night turned out much better than I could have hoped. We were a small group, but with the plans made ahead of time, there were just enough folks to fill up the space around the table and to enjoy the wonderful Rosés that I had purchased for our enjoyment.There were only seven members due to several last-minute cancellations. As always, I had a fun time hosting, selecting the Rosé wines, and preparing the tasting notes and voting sheets. Because I had to “know” the wines in order to make sure that they were in the right sequence and not diminish the wines that were poured first, I did not actively participate in the blind tasting. I poured the wines and supplied enough glasses so that the members could compare each wine with the other. What a lovely sight! The Rosés were beautiful and reflected the colors of the Rosé rainbow, from a pale salmon pink to bright candy pink to a sheer garnet. The refreshments included appetizers of fresh fruits (strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, and dried cherries because these aromas are characteristically found in Rosé wines), Fontina and Gruyere cheeses, two different Pasolivo olive oils, dipping bread, homemade salsas, and a smoked beef brisket. For dessert there was watermelon “pizza” and vanilla ice cream.

Thanks so much to Tex and Gidget for the following compliment: The last time Irene prepared her delicious dry rub beef brisket was @ Michael Breyer’s tasting and it disappeared very quickly. This time there were fewer people attending & Irene prepared more brisket, but the result was the same: no leftovers for her to eat later!!

I apologize for the delay in getting this tasting report out to you, but my camera died and according to the “service” contract that I had purchased when I bought the camera a few months ago, it had to go out for “service.” I figured that the Rosés wouldn’t last that long so here I am. And, yes, I feel like I’m getting “serviced,” particularly since this is the second camera in less than ten months that has gone belly up. Pardon my rant.

Check the end of this entry for details on the wines for the tasting.

The first Neophyte to Wine Snob Experience classes will be held at Valley Cheese and Wine during the third week of September. I will have complete information in next week’s update, and should have information on upcoming Paso Robles tours.

One of the questions I am always asked is in regards to the relevance of wine in Las Vegas. After all, it’s “only” Las Vegas. Not “Wine Central” by anybody’s estimation. We’re known for casinos, showgirls, the mob, and lots and lots of glitz. I can understand this perception because wine is largely available to the tourists at the tourists’ restaurants on The Strip, often at wildly inflated, breathtaking prices, usually triple or more of retail. Too many local restaurants have tried to do The Strip “thing” and mark up their wines to extortion levels as well, hoping that people are too ignorant to notice or too absorbed or embarrassed to say anything.

Too bad. Because we’re up to our nostrils in wine, and can kick anyone’s butt on the prices and the quality at our local joints. As many of you know, Marché Bacchus is my favorite with wine list QPRs (Quality/Price Ratio) that are hard to beat. Others may cost a little more, but are far from the abusive prices of the tourist areas. Jimmy’s Café, King’s, and Bleu Gourmet are great examples of establishments that provide wonderful food and the ability to purchase wine at great restaurant-reasonable prices.

Even as people get more and more savvy about wine, there will come a time (I predict) when people will start to question the exploitation prices on many restaurants’ wine lists, and will let their dollars speak for them by patronizing those places that offer wines at sensible prices. People eat out more and are beginning to realize that McDonald’s does not offer an ethereal dining experience. And people like my youngest son are learning that beer doesn’t offer much to a romantic candlelight dinner. (There’s a story there, by the way). Newspapers, articles, magazines, and online reports laud the health benefits of wine, and obscure grapes that make fabulous wines are being rescued from the brink of extinction. Many of these wines go for a song and a prayer at the local retail shops, and the sticker shock on the restaurant wine list may be moderated as people realize that wine is a food. After all, even children receive it around the family tables in Europe. Except for Antarctica, grapes are grown on every continent, and wine is enjoyed by most truly civilized countries. Unbelievably, wine grapes are grown in every state in the United States.

So when you find a restaurant that offers good food, great ambiance, and sensible wine prices, raise your glass in salute and drink up! And visit them often. As consumers, it’s a good thing to show your support and help with their success. (Did I sound like Martha Stewart or what?!?)

When you come to the blog and read the updates, be sure to read the Wine Quote of the Week. Many of those quotes go back to antiquity and reflect the relationship that civilized man has had with wine since the dawn of time. For those of you who are biblically inclined, Noah knew what he was doing!

There are wine tastings every day in Las Vegas. Every day. The tastings may range from the weekly free pourings at some of our favorite retail shops, such as Khoury’s, Valley Cheese and Wine, Las Vegas Wine Company, Steak, and Marché Bacchus to special dinners, discounts, and tastings for wine club members such as the Grape Beginnings club at Jimmy’s Café or the wine club at Roy’s. Lee’s Discount Liquor not only has weekend tastings, but also sponsors big wine events during the course of the year. If you’re looking for a wine tasting in Las Vegas and can’t find it, then you’re not looking hard enough!

Heads up on an upcoming event! The Second Annual HenderZIN Festival will be held on October 13 in the parking lot of Khoury’s on Eastern. I went last year, spent a LOT of money on phenomenal Zinfandels, and loved every moment of it. At $50.00 a head, it’s a bargain! Go to their website for contact information.

Next week: Time for the Neophyte to Wine Snob Experience

And here are the wines! Thanks to Tex for supplying the very detailed tasting notes:

Wine #1 was pale pink in color with a tinge of salmon, aromas & flavors of watermelon, strawberries & minerals with additional flavors of cherries, mint, herbs & pepper. This was the 2006 Domaine de Souviou Rosé (a blend of 60% Cinsault, 30% Grenache & 10% Mourvedre), Bandol, France — 90 pts Wine Enthusiast — 13% alcohol — $27.

Wine #2 was pink in color with an orange-brown tinge, aromas & flavors of watermelon & strawberries, more intense in flavor than the first wine, with additional flavors of raspberries, mild tannins & a long finish. This was the 2005 Casa Mireles “Romanze” Rosé (a blend of 97% Syrah & 3% Pinot Noir), San Luis Obispo, CA — 14.2% — $17.

Wine #3 was raspberry in color with earthy aromas of currants; creamy flavors of currants, raspberries & strawberries with licorice on the finish. This was the 2005 L’Uvaggio di Giacomo Il Gufo Barbera Rosato (100% Barbera), Lodi, CA — 12.5% — $9.

Wine #4 was raspberry in color with aromas of red currants, cherries & roses; flavors of red currants, red apples & watermelon. This was the 2006 Artero Rosado J. Tempranillo (100% Tempranillo), La Mancha, Spain — 12.5% — $13.

Wine #5 was light cherry red in color with an oxidized nose reminiscent of Madera, bread dough, apples & vanilla with some tannins. This was the 2005 Palm Cellars “The Bearded Poodle” Rosé (60% Syrah, 30% Grenache & 10% Zinfandel), Paso Robles, CA — 14.1% — $13 ONLY @ Khoury’s (only a few bottles left). This was the favorite Rosé of the night. (Irene’s note – if there’s any left, it’s only at the Khoury’s on Eastern)

Mike Frankel treated the group to a 2006 L’Aventure Rosé (72% Syrah & 28% Cabernet Sauvignon), Paso Robles, CA — 14.8%. Thanks, Mike, for providing this delightful Rosé.

 

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